The Gospel of Thomas:"The Kingdom (of Heaven) is inside you and it is outside you";"Split a piece of wood, and I am there,"Lift up the stone and there you will find me";

Isaac of Syria said :"Try to enter your treasure house and you will see the treasure house of Heaven;To him who knows himself knowledge of all things is given.For knowing oneself is the fulfillment of the knowledge of all things"

The miracles (including the walking on water) are known in the various religious and philosophical traditions and are usually understood as manifestations of our innate divine power.
Just as the Hindu deities can descend in human forms (avatars), so the Hindu saints can, through the practice of asceticism (tapas), rise to godlike status. Thus the saint is often understood to be a "god-man" or a "goddess woman" by virtue of having "realized" the divinity innate in all human beings.

In this context, a miracle is a manifestation of supernormal powers (siddhis) acquired as a function of attaining mystic trance (samadhi) through meditation and physical austerities(tapas,ascetism,asceza). A classic treatment of the siddhis is the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, where the list of supernormal powers includes knowledge of previous lives; clairvoyance; knowledge of the moment when one will die; control over and thus freedom from one's bodily systems; the ability to levitate and transverse great distances in a moment's time; the power to expand or shrink one's body; and so forth.[from:http://science.jrank.org/pages/10251/Miracles-Miracles-in-Sacred-Scriptures.html] Patanjali in Yoga Sutras( Chapter Three--Vibbuti Pada) states that each human being can achieve what are called the yoga siddhis, or miraculous powers.In Yoga Sutra III, 40: "By mastery of udana prana, which moves up from the chest, one can encounter obstacles like water, mud, thorns, and so on without contacting them and, through this pranic current, ascend from gravity"(http://www.yogachicago.com/sep05/sutras.shtml );

"By self-control of the nerve-currents utilising the lifebreath, one may levitate, walk on water, swamps, thorns, or the like".In the Chinese wuxia martial arts genre, some warriors may be able to fly or jump with the aid the water's surface. This is never explained by other than the depth of their training.
In ancient Egyptian Mythology the God Horus walked on water, and in ancient Greek Mythology the giant hunter and son of the gods Orion walked on water. Hindu, Buddhist [http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/btg/btg86.htm], and Greek [http://www.comfychair.org/~cmbell/myth/orion.html] traditions have stories about characters walking on water.
Walking on water is one of the miracles that the Gospels attribute to Jesus. An account of the miracle appears in the Gospels of John (John 6:16-21), of Matthew[14:22-33] and of Mark [6:45-52]. According to the Biblical narrative, Jesus sent the disciples in a boat, ahead of him, to Bethsaida, but when they were half way across the lake, Jesus walked over the lake and met them. The narrative states that the disciples were scared at first, thinking it was a ghost, but when Jesus revealed himself and got into the boat, they calmed down. According to Matthew (but not Mark or John) Peter was also able to walk on water, following Jesus's example[Matthew 14:22-33 ].

Someone may be "walking on water” not because they have learned a great secret, but rather that they have not 'learned' that they cannot do such a thing. Sometimes the correction for a situation is not to do something more, but primarily to stop what we have being doing; rather than learning something new, relinquish limiting information that you have acquired along the way.

Our past conditioning is an obstacle to holographic functioning of our mind (transpersonal or non-dual state of mind) which is the yoga(the state of union,alignment);
Deprogramming/deconditioning is bringing that boundless heart space into "life" -- allowing for it - creating stillness more and more.See in chapter 11 of Lao Tzu the use of koans to empty our mind
When we surrender we refresh/reload the page and we return inside

48.1.Act for knowledge (Indirect Knowledge) and there is daily increase(we accumulate experience,memories,desires,activities,agitation,wei).

48.2.Act for Tao (the Way of Direct Knowledge) and there is daily decrease (we unlearn, drop , diminish desires, memories, agitation, activities, wei).

48.3.Decrease, and again decrease[agitations,desires,conditioning,deeds,thoughts,actions,activities],

48.4.Till you reach Wu-Wei (Non-action;the state without activities).

48.5.By Wu-Wei (the state without activities, non-action) there is nothing that is not done(all miraculous powers are possible)

48.6.That is why one should be permanent in a state of Wu-Wei (beyond action) to govern the world

48.7.For those who fight to conquer the world (for those who still have ambitions;for those who act, in order to win it,),

48.8.The world is already beyond their conquest. (its out of their reach; results in failure)

Note:The indirect knowledge of ordinary science is something built up brick by brick.This is not the knowledge of the reality, but the knowledge of the reflection of the reality in the mirror of the mind. In Taoism and Zen, they say "the reflection of the Moon on the surface of a still lake , is not the Moon itself” …or "the finger pointing at the Moon is not the Moon itself". It is called Mediated or indirect or second-hand knowledge because this type of knowledge is mediated by the signals(impulses;activities;vrittis) from our senses; Direct knowledge (Perception) is rather something that gradually becomes visible like the clear sky and the sun emerges out when the clouds impulses;activities;Chinese:"wei"";Sanskrit:"vrittis") are not longer present.

The knowledge of Tao is something already present in us as a potential, something that arises from within. The knowledge of Truth is thus neither something laboriously constructed bottom-up out of loose elements, nor derived top-down out of some grand theory. Direct Knowledge can thus arise, just like a sudden insight, by itself when we remove the clouds(impulses;activities;Chinese:"wei"";Sanskrit:"vrittis") that stands in its way.That is why there is nothing that is not done when you arrive in the state of wu-wei.

Awareness of man's Original Divine Nature is like watching the reflection of the Moon on the surface of a still lake. Actually the Moon is not in the lake, but if clouds appear and cover the moon, people say that it has departed from the lake, yet it has gone nowhere. The Universal Soul is always present,always available to guide, but the clouds of the mind(wei,activities) create the phenomena of apparent separation.

see below other translations of chapter 48 /Sentence 1

Beck: The pursuit of learning is to increase day by day. The practice of the Way is to decrease day by day. Less and less is done until one reaches non-action.

Blackney:The student learns by daily increment. The Way is gained by daily loss, Loss upon loss until At last comes rest.

Bynner: A man anxious for knowledge adds more to himself every minute; A man acquiring life loses himself in it, Has less and less to bear in mind, Less and less to do,

Byrn :One who seeks knowledge learns something new every day. One who seeks the Tao unlearns something new every day.

Chan, Wing-tsit: The pursuit of learning is to increase day after day. The pursuit of Tao is to decrease day after day.

Cleary: For learning you gain daily; for the Way you lose daily.

Crowley: The scholar seeks daily increase of knowing; the sage of Dao, daily decrease of doing.

Gia-fu Feng and Jane English:

In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.
Less and less is done
Until non-action is achieved.
When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.
The world is ruled by letting things take their course.
It cannot be ruled by interfering.

Tam Gibbs

In pursuing knowledge, one accumulates daily.
In practicing Tao, one loses daily.
Lose and lose and lose, until one reaches Non-action.
Non-action, yet there is nothing left undone.
To win the world one must not act for gain.
If one acts for gain, one will not be able to win the world

Robert G. Henricks

1. Those who work at their studies increase day after day;
2. Those who have heard the Dao decrease day after day.
3. They decrease and decrease, till they get to the point where they do nothing.
4. They do nothing and yet there's nothing left undone.
5. When someone wants to take control of the world, he must always be unconcerned with affairs.
6. For in a case where he's concerned with affairs,
7. He'll be unworthy, as well, of taking control of the world.

Hansen: In deem-acting on 'study' one daily increases. In deem-acting on 'the guide ' one daily decreases.

Legge: He who devotes himself to learning from day to day increase (his knowledge); he who devotes himself to the Tao from day to day diminish (his doing).

D.C. Lau translation (Penguin Books, 1963)

In the pursuit of learning one knows more every day;
In the pursuit of the way one does less every day.
One does less and less until one does nothing at all, and when one does nothing at all there is nothing that is undone.
It is always through not meddling that the empire is won.
Should you meddle, then you are not equal to the task of winning the empire.

The student of knowledge (aims at) learning day by day; The student of Tao (aims at) losing day by day. By continual losing One reaches doing nothing (laissez-faire).

Mabry: To pursue learning is to grow a little more every day. To pursue the Tao is to desire a little less every day.

McDonald: The student of knowledge goes into learning a little day by day; The student of dao reduces his assets by dwindling or losing a bit each day. Learning consists in adding daily to one's stock, and the practice of dao consists in loose dwindling day by day. It could be subtracting till one has reached inactivity. By steady reductions [of certain sorts] you reach certain sorts of laissez-faire.

Merel: The follower of knowledge learns as much as he can every day; The follower of the Way forgets as much as he can every day.

Mitchell: In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped.

Muller: In studying, each day something is gained. In following the Tao, each day something is lost.

Red Pine: Those who seek learning gain every day those who seek the Way lose every day

Ta-Kao,Ch'u , 1904: He who pursues learning will increase every day; He who pursues Tao will decrease every day.

Walker :In the pursuit of learning, every day something is added. In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.

Wieger, Léon 1913 in French - English translation by Derek Bryce, 1999:

48.1 By studying, every day one increases (useless and injurious particular notions, in one's memory); by concentrating on the Principle, they are diminished every day.
48.2 Pushed to the limit, this diminution ends in non-action, (the consequence of the absence of particular ideas). Now there is nothing that non-action (letting things go) cannot sort out. It is through non-action that one wins the empire.
48.3 To act, in order to win it, results in failure.

Wing, R.L. , 1986

To pursue the academic, add to it daily.
To pursue the Tao, subtract from it daily.
Subtract and subtract again,
To arrive at nonaction.
Through nonaction nothing is left undone.
The world is always held wtihout effort.
The moment there is effort,
The world is beyond holding.

"48.1Learning consists in daily accumulating; The practice of Tao consists in daily diminishing.
48.2 Keep on diminishing and diminishing, Until you reach the state of Non-Ado. Non-Ado, And yet nothing is left undone.
48.3 To win the world, one must renounce all. If one still has private ends to serve, One will never be able to win the world. ".

Duyvendak-Tao Te Ching The Book of the Way and Its Virtue translated from the Chinese and Annotated by J.J.L. Duyvendak. 1954. John Murray. London
"Practice learning and there is daily increase.
Practice the Way and there is daily decrease.
Decrease, and again decrease, till it reaches non-action.
By doing nothing there is nothing that is not done"

"In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.
In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.
More and more dropped, until Wu-Wei is achieved.
With Wu-Wei, nothing is left undone.
The world always takes its own course.
If not, it cannot rule the world".

Ren Jiyu-A Taoist Classic The Book of Laozi by Ren Jiyu (translated by He Guanghu, Gao Shining, Song Lidao and Xu Junyao). Foreign Languages Press. Beijing. 1993.
"The pursuit of learning is to increase (knowledge) day after day.
The pursuit of Tao is to decrease (knowledge) day after day.
Decreasing and decreasing again, till one has reached nonaction (wu-wei).
Nonaction and yet there is nothing that is not done by it.
To govern all under Heaven one usually should not take any arbitrary action.
If one tends to do anything arbitrarily,
One is not qualified to govern all under Heaven"

He who seeks learnedness will daily increase. He who seeks Reason will daily diminish. He will diminish and continue to diminish until he arrives at non-assertion.
With non-assertion there is nothing that he cannot achieve. When he takes the empire, it is always because he uses no diplomacy. He who uses diplomacy is not fit to take the empire.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Some insight into the quotation “To the mind that is still the whole universe surrenders” (Lao Tzu , Buddha, Chuang Tzu)

Know that deep inside, you have immense power that can, and will, change the world. You are the change..

By stilling the mind (activities or wei;realizing wu-wei) you allow the holographic universe to work,to flow and manifest through you.This give birth to direct vision and action- namely to supernormal ordivine powers(siddhis). “Therefore the Master can act without doing anything and teach without saying a word.( Lao Tzu 2)

"The Tao of the saint is work(action) without effort(action)" (Lao Tzu 8). .Wu-wei is not inaction or non-actionbut a return to the simplicity of formless substance(37). "Empty yourself of everything.Let the mind rest at peace". (Lao Tzu 16)

The same strategy of stilling the mind is describedin Patanjali’s Aphorisms (Yoga Sutra ) in the second sutra ofthe first chapter ( Samadhi Pada) in which yoga is defined as a stilling or calming ofthe activities or impulses (vrittis) in the mind (yoga chitta vritti nirodha).Yoga(the unified state beyond the duality of subject-object;the holographic state) [is realised by ]nirodha[stilling;cessation]of the vrittis (activities,fluctuations,

modifications,impulses, the thought forms,workings) of the mind (chitta)

When you are surrendering to the universe(Ishvara pranidhana), the universe is surrendering to you

However, a quiet mind is imperative. Saints and sages have long recognized and cherished the value of the quiet mind. From Taoism we learn, "To the mind that is still the whole Universe surrenders."

David, the Psalmist, alluded to the quiet mind as "the secret place of the most high." We discover the truth that sets us free by being still and retreating to the "secret place of the most high."

Jesus said, "Cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also" (Matthew 23:24-26).

James, brother of Jesus and author of "The Letter of James," said, "Purify your hearts, ye double minded." Jeremiah said, "Wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved." "Washing our heartfrom wickedness" is the same thing as purifying our heart … the same thing as "cleaning the inside of the cup and the platter."

When our heart is pure, we know ourselves. Otherwise, we are under the guidance of the false ego-self that always wants to appear special and important and always brings mental turmoil and suffering.

When we know ourselves, we have peace, joy and happiness. We discover our true self — we purify our heart — by being still and communing — and understanding — with our heart. There is no other way!

Lao Tzu:"Stop thinking, and end your problems."

Lao Tzu:"To die and not be lost, is the real blessing of a long life."

Everything written on these pages can be summarized in one admonition found in

Psalms 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God".

Or, following a continuous thread of truth through cultures and time, we read from the Taoist, Lao Zi (Lao Tzu ) andChuang Tzu (Zhuang Zi):"To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders".

Isa Upanishad –“ The Spirit, without moving, is swifter than the mind; the senses cannot reach him : He is ever beyond them. Standing still, he overtakes those who run. To the ocean of his being, the spirit of life leads the streams of action”.

Katha Upanishad -VI – “When the five senses and the mind are still, (during meditation) and reason itself rests in silence, then begins the Path supreme”